Assignment 4 – Drones

How do I think drones will impact my future and career? A couple weekends ago, my friend shot her film for her Directing class. The scene took place in our backyard. The opening shot was a drone shot above our house that showed an aerial view of what was happening. It was operated by one of the SkyWorks guys with his Samsung smartphone. How did this happen? She met him at an event in the Chancellor’s house and he agreed to do a bit of drone work for her project.

Drone shots are becoming more and more common in films because of their accessibility. I think what filmmakers need to remain wary of, however, is if a drone shot is necessary. All shots in a film should serve the story, and if a drone shot is included, that means it must mean something. Drone footage is fascinating as it shows us an angle we never would have otherwise seen–years ago my first fascination with this kind of thing was seeing footage from a drone flying through fireworks. It has a sort of shock and awe factor to it; previously only big budget movies could get helicopter shots, but now it’s much easier to get these kinds of things.

What is interesting is that now that special licensing and training is required to operate drones commercially, it will change how filmmakers use this technique. Will filmmakers be motivated to obtain pilot’s licenses or will it be harder for consumers to get these kinds of shots?